Contrary to popular belief, the records of Scotland begin long before the advent of statutory registration in 1855. In some cases it is possible to trace families back to the sixteenth century using easily available records. Scottish research and retrieval of the records of Scotland is completely intertwined with the use of the Internet. We will look at some of the basic records – statutory registers, census, old parish records, and testaments – and navigate the Scotland government web sites to retrieve them. Even if you have no research in Scotland, the government web sites of Scotland provide a model for any government body or society to use when putting their documentation on the Internet.

Ireland government web sites are not quite as complete, but the selection of records available online is growing. We will again look at some of the basic records available both online and off and discuss the records hiding in repositories that might help you further your research.

The workshop will also explore other interesting genealogical and informational online sites for both countries and also touch of some genealogical resources online for those with Welsh ancestry.

This workshop is limited to forty participants and is one of the free benefits for members. Non-members fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership on the day of the workshop. Preregistration is required.

Registration confirmations will be sent to the first forty participants who register. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

Cath Madden Trindle is a certified genealogist in the San Francisco Bay area, and a national conference speaker. She earned a Certificate of European Research from BYU, and a Certificate in Genealogical Studies - Libraianship (NIGS.) Cath owned a bookkeeping consultation business for thirty years and is currently Treasurer of the CSGA and the FGS. She writes regular copyright and society strategy solumns for the CSGA newsletter. As Publication Chair for SMCGS, she has edited the San Mateo County Naturalization Index Series, the Schellens indexing project, and coauthored the SMCGS Tree Climbing Guides.

Cath, is a first generation Californian, and has limited her client research to Northern California, however, personal research and national speaking engagements also focus on the records of Ireland and Scotland, Canada, Minnesota, and Michigan, and on storytelling.